As the nation and the world mourn the loss of legendary singer and entertainer Tony Bennett, some are returning to his carefully written words to refresh themselves and reflect on the many aspects of his memorable personal story.
In his autobiography “The Good Life,” written by Tony Bennett with Will Friedwald, published in the late 1990s, Bennett told the world, “I’ve been asked many times why I didn’t write my life story earlier.”
Bennett said this was because “I’m not the type of person who likes to look back.”
Legendary singer Tony Bennett has died at the age of 96.
Rather, he wrote, “I have always felt compelled to move forward, and I have never been one to dwell in the past.”
However, as he noted in “The Good Life,” published by Atria Books / Simon & SchusterThere was a change of heart on this.
Singer Tony Bennett won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for “Tony Bennett on Holiday” on February 25, 1998 in New York. (MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images)
“The pieces of my life are starting to fall into place like an intricate mosaic,” he wrote.
To that end, he noted, “I have learned that no matter how tough the struggles of daily life are, with enough dedication and patience I will persevere and achieve my goals, no matter how unattainable they may seem at first.”
“I consider my grandparents to be the bravest of people.”
Among the many other insights and stories he shared, Bennett gave a big nod to his family members, many of whom had left Calabria, Italy, for the United States — the land of new beginnings and great opportunity.
Singer Tony Bennett, recipient of the Towering Performance Award, attends the annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony and Dinner at the Marriott Marquis on June 12, 2003 in New York City. (Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
“I consider my grandparents, as well as many immigrants before and after them, to be the bravest of people,” Bennett wrote.
“It makes me wonder what it meant for them to leave everything they knew” to come to America, he added.
“I never thought I would be as lucky as I am successful.”
“My grandfather got up early every day and worked until the sun went down. He didn’t have much, so he let my grandmother handle all the money,” Bennett wrote.
He continued, “At the end of the day, he gave her everything he earned, and he paid all the bills and put what was left in an old trunk he hid under his bed.”
He also wrote, “I never thought I would be as lucky as I am successful.”
Tony Bennett’s book “The Good Life” was originally published in the late 1990s. The book includes the famous singer’s childhood memories of his beloved mother bending over her sewing machine in the family’s small home as she tried to sew as many clothes as possible to earn extra money. (Simon and Schuster)
His family’s original name, Benedetto, he also noted, “means blessed.”
and “I feel truly blessed.”
Yet, she recounted her Depression-era childhood and more — including her beloved mother, a seamstress, bent over her machine in her tiny home trying to sew as many clothes as possible.
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The more clothes she made—the more money she earned for her family.
“I loved her so much, and I felt so sorry for her because she always seemed so upset,” he wrote.
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“I could understand how much he suffered to live a modest life.”
Source by [Fox News]
